AAA Texas Helps Seniors Stay Safe on the Road

DALLAS--Nov. 1, 20056, 2005--AAA Texas is helping to keep older drivers safe on the road by demonstrating AAA's Four Stages of Safe Senior Motoring, November 16. AAA Four Stages of Safe Senior Motoring assesses and evaluates older drivers' physical strength, mobility, flexibility and mental acuity. The effort is a continuation of AAA Texas' on-going program to improve senior mobility.

"AAA Texas believes that people should be able to keep driving as long as they want to--if they can do so safely," said Brenda Yager, manager of government and public affairs for AAA Texas. "We need to move past the myth that an older driver is automatically an unsafe driver; it's not true."

Stage one demonstrates a pilot program called CarFit. CarFit is designed to give a quick, comprehensive check on how well a senior driver and their vehicle work together. CarFit was developed by AAA, the American Society on Aging, AARP and the American Occupational Therapy Association. CarFit is scheduled to be available to seniors next year, once the pilot phase is completed.

Yager noted that age affects vision, flexibility, strength, range of motion and even size and height. "Unless seniors make adjustments, those changes may make older drivers less comfortable and reduce control behind the wheel. CarFit gives older adults the tools to help them stay on the road safely," she said.

CarFit also uses occupational therapists, specializing in driver rehabilitation, to talk to seniors about numerous health and driving issues. Therapists give advice on ways a driver can maintain and strengthen their driving health, including community resources where seniors can go for further evaluation regarding exercise, nutrition and adaptive devices. They also may recommend adaptive devices to put drivers in a better position.

Stage two is flexibility and wellness awareness where seniors learn stretching exercises for their necks, shoulders and backs. Increased flexibility helps seniors see more traffic around their cars when they are driving. The station includes a reaction timing exercise.

Stage three is an assessment using AAA's Roadwise Review(R) CD Rom. Roadwise Review(R) allows a senior to evaluate him or herself at home to determine areas of physical strength or driving techniques that can be improved. Roadwise Review(R) is designed to be used on a senior's own computer at home with the help of another person.

Stage four is a self-test vision evaluation using the Pelli-Robson Contrast Sensitivity Chart (Fog Chart). The Fog Chart measures visual acuity like a traditional eye chart, however, the Fog Chart becomes lighter and less defined as the viewer reads letters from line to line, as conditions would be while driving in the fog.

Senior Motoring Facts

-- People over 65 are the fastest-growing population in the country. (AAA)

-- Within 25 years, 20 percent of the U.S. population will be 65 or older. (U.S. Census 2004)

-- By 2020, there will be more than 40 million licensed drivers ages 65 and older. (Dellinger 2002)

-- Seniors are more likely to wear seatbelts, less likely to drink and drive and less likely to speed. (IIHS 2003)

-- Seniors are more likely to be injured in a car crash. (IIHS 2003)

-- Seniors have the highest crash death rate per mile of everyone except teenagers. (IIHS 2003)

-- Most traffic fatalities involving older drivers in 2002 occurred during the daytime (81 percent), on weekdays (72 percent), and involved another vehicle (75 percent). (NHTSA 2003)

What AAA Texas Recommends

-- Safer road designs, better lighting and more visible signage

-- Provide tools to help seniors assess and maintain their driving skills

-- Provide additional training and sources of supplemental transportation

-- Promote "senior friendly" vehicles